Just found FG...

[BaldMike]

I had no idea this site existed until referred here by a post on the Dungeons & Dragons Online Forum. After reviewing many of the posts and looking at a couple of the campaigns going on, most notably "A Highharvesttide Journey", it appears that one can indeed play D&D online without losing the roleplaying aspects.

I've played D&D since the late '70s and have been through the experience that some, perhaps many, of you can associate with ... your friends grow up, you all have careers and families and end up separated. Now the group you played with on a regular basis for years is disbanded and you are left with no one with whom you can enjoy what has become a little bit more than a hobby.

So, if you all will tolerate it I would love to hear responses to a couple of questions that I have regarding FG:
First, do you find the experience and the role-playing to be as satisfying as it is when you play over the table? (It seems that the developers have very much tried to recreate this...)
Second, do you find that the pace of the game is acceptable, realizing that this is of course a matter of opinion. I guess my question is does the medium slow the game down any, if that makes sense?
For Players, do you find it difficult to find a group to play with regularly?
For DM's, do you find it difficult to keep a consistent group of players? Also, do you find that the medium of play increases your prep time considerably?

Forgive me if this post is too long, too invasive or in the wrong spot...clearly I'm very new to this site. Bottom line, before making an investment of time and money, guess I'd want to make sure I really had a place to play.

I look forward to any and all responses and appreciate your time. :)

[Ram Tyr]

BaldMike,

Welcome to Fantasy Grounds! May your every fantasy find the strength to flourish on these hallowed grounds.
:D

I also came to Fantasy Grounds from the DDO boards. A group of us got together and took a look at the available products for gaming and jumped on FG over all the rest. Amazingly, that group has stayed together with the loss of only one of those players. (/waves to the group formerly known as the "Official" Unofficial EST Campaign on the "old" DDO boards) It also turned out that not all of us participated in the beta for DDO and I don't think any of us actually decided to play DDO as of our last game session! One player we added does play DDO! (Small world, right?)



First, do you find the experience and the role-playing to be as satisfying as it is when you play over the table? (It seems that the developers have very much tried to recreate this...)
I do. I like using typed chat instead of hearing Anne's presentation of Dalor's war cry. I like imagining the character's image without reference to the player's actual appearance. This is just a difference in roleplaying that I hadn't experienced until playing through FG. I like the fact that the logs can be kept and reviewed, even if just for kicks.

Second, do you find that the pace of the game is acceptable, realizing that this is of course a matter of opinion. I guess my question is does the medium slow the game down any, if that makes sense?
I do not think that FG slows down the game. I know that we (on these boards) discuss improving the pace of the game frequently. However, I believe that the pace of the game is something that is discussed in most face to face games as well. I believe this is a result of the system being used (ex. D&D, Rolemaster, GURPS, etc.) and not the medium the game is played through. The universality of these discussions seems to support that. Discussions about simplifying the rules or making them more complex also seem to support that.

That being said, as usual, the DM has an incredible influence on this. Depending on the DM's preferences and the style of campaign, this will vary. There will be a difference in running a combat intensive campaign versus running a combat "free" campaign. Even within a "kill em all" campaign there can be variety. If the DM opts to present multiple opponents in waves, that has an impact on the pace of the game. If the DM opts to present solitary opponents of much greater "quality", that will have a different impact. The DM gets to set the pace in many ways and as long as the DM and the players are happy, game on! :)

For Players, do you find it difficult to find a group to play with regularly?
As I mentioned earlier, I came to FG with a group. Once here I added an additional group three or four times. Within the first three or four weeks of each campaign, all but one of those original groups disbanded due to the DM's inability to continue. I think it was about eight or nine weeks after first making my purchase that my second group came together. That group continues gaming! (/waves to the Qabbal campaign) I haven't tried adding a third group to my schedule. (Hmm....maybe if I can sleep while I work... :D)

So, that may or may not be typical.

I recommend not getting caught up in timezones. (Only looking for EST campaign, etc.) Regardless of where everyone is, if you can all coordinate and game together, who cares if one of you should be sleeping and another of you should be working?

I recommend coming to FG with a group if you are truly nervous about finding a group.

I recommend playing in a few groups and expecting that they won't all pan out.

Finally, I recommend giving running a session a shot as that is a sure fire way of getting started.

I hope all of that helped.

Later.
Ramza

[LordTomar]

I had no idea this site existed until referred here by a post on the Dungeons & Dragons Online Forum. After reviewing many of the posts and looking at a couple of the campaigns going on, most notably "A Highharvesttide Journey", it appears that one can indeed play D&D online without losing the roleplaying aspects.

I've played D&D since the late '70s and have been through the experience that some, perhaps many, of you can associate with ... your friends grow up, you all have careers and families and end up separated. Now the group you played with on a regular basis for years is disbanded and you are left with no one with whom you can enjoy what has become a little bit more than a hobby.


I too first heard about FG on the DDO forums, I was in the closed beta for DDO but decided I wasnt going to get DDO while playing beta.



So, if you all will tolerate it I would love to hear responses to a couple of questions that I have regarding FG:
First, do you find the experience and the role-playing to be as satisfying as it is when you play over the table? (It seems that the developers have very much tried to recreate this...)

In my case, I find that playing over FG has far more roleplaying then playing in PnP (of course when i played before FG it was with some not so spectacular DMs and all of our games then were hack and slash).

With the way chat channels are, you can keep your dialog and actions seperate, or do what I do in games and merge them together as if you were narating.



Second, do you find that the pace of the game is acceptable, realizing that this is of course a matter of opinion. I guess my question is does the medium slow the game down any, if that makes sense?

For me it doesnt seem that much slower. I tend to describe what I am donig more then most when in fights, but because of that I am thinking and writing out my actions durring other people's turns. So when it is my turn, I normaly only have to ask the DM a question or 2 about mods and can just hit enter on my prepaired action.

Though this doesnt always work because one of the other players actions can completely ruin what I had planned out... then I have to quickly rethink what I am going to do and write it out.

Also if your group has people who dont like to type or dont type that fast, then you can always use VOIP to speed up the game more.



For Players, do you find it difficult to find a group to play with regularly?
For DM's, do you find it difficult to keep a consistent group of players? Also, do you find that the medium of play increases your prep time considerably?

When I purchased FG, that same day I posted on the forums that I was looking for a game. I got a response within the first day about a game that was starting up (I know I got really lucky here). It has now been about 9 months or so and Im still playing wiht that group. Even joined a second game with those players with another member of the group DMing. In the group for the first game, we had a members who had to drop out because of RL issues, but other then that we have had no problems.

Since I have never DMed in RL or on FG I really cant say on how much prep time it takes to get ready for a game. Though im sure youll get responses about that from the DMs that do live on the forums.



Forgive me if this post is too long, too invasive or in the wrong spot...clearly I'm very new to this site. Bottom line, before making an investment of time and money, guess I'd want to make sure I really had a place to play.

I look forward to any and all responses and appreciate your time. :)

Now when your looking for a game, you have to remember that it may take some time to find a game. But if you keep looking long enough and let the community get to know you, by asking questions and talking in the forums (wich you already seems to be starting to do by posting this) then you will most likely not have a problem with finding a good group to play with.

Also another site you may want to look into is Four Ugly Monsters, FUM, It is another site that a number of the community members go to to talk about FG and RPG related things.

[Griogre]

First, do you find the experience and the role-playing to be as satisfying as it is when you play over the table? (It seems that the developers have very much tried to recreate this...)
I think the overall experience is similar. Parts are different. The typing part can be a plus or minus. My group uses voice to avoid the typing and speed play.

Second, do you find that the pace of the game is acceptable, realizing that this is of course a matter of opinion. I guess my question is does the medium slow the game down any, if that makes sense? If you do not use voice, typing will slow the game down. However as you can see from the other posts, it it common to see people reply that typed communication can enhance the role playing experience. I think the pace of online games is slower than a well run face to face game, but not as slow as a badly run face to face game.


For Players, do you find it difficult to find a group to play with regularly?
For DM's, do you find it difficult to keep a consistent group of players? Also, do you find that the medium of play increases your prep time considerably? I haven't played FG has a player and can't comment on difficultly of finding groups. I was already running an online game and when the software we were using seemed inadequate to the task, my group switched enmass to FG. Prior to switching I got a couple of my players to connect to the demo. One of my players already had FG, so only five of us needed to get the software.

One of the reasons I choose FG because as a DM was I felt and still feel you can run an adventure on it "out of the box" with no prep time for the software at all. In fact that is exactly what I did with my first real FG online game. I have limited time to game and the week we were to switch over to FG I had no time before game day. The only thing I did prior to game night was make sure my router's port was open, and it helped my computer's personal firewall is trivial to configure for FG. As an online group already using voice, the voice component was already setup for the group. I bought the software, invoiced the group members from my Paypal account, sent the download links over Yahoo Messager, and then the licenses as their payments hit my Paypal account. We had everyone installed and up in less than 20 minutes. It took another 10 to 15 to get thier characters in and answer questions. We then started playing an adventure I was in the middle of. I had slotted about an hour for this process and it took about 40 minutes. Understand this process was speeded quite a bit by us having a voice connection going through the whole process and the ability to IM text around. It also helped that we were already an online group so to a large extent all the computer connection issues had already been solved and we, as a group, had standard established communication lines with voice and IM to resolve problems. We were probably a best case scenario.


Forgive me if this post is too long, too invasive or in the wrong spot...clearly I'm very new to this site. Bottom line, before making an investment of time and money, guess I'd want to make sure I really had a place to play.

I look forward to any and all responses and appreciate your time. :)
No problem, you should have seen my questions. Many on the board very kindly and patiently answered them too. :)

[BaldMike]

Thanks to all for such speedy and informative replies! I really appreciate such thorough and helpful responses.

Based on what I have heard, it looks like I will go ahead and purchase FG sometime very soon. I'm curious, since I have acted as both player and DM in the past would you all recommend going ahead and getting the full version vs. the lite? I would expect to play for awhile before DM'ing, if for no other reason to get comfortable with the program. (It would also take me awhile to get up to speed on D&D v3.5, played under 2nd edition rules for years but want to make the change...)

Also, are there any other fees associated with play here? It sounds like the program license is a one time cost - is that correct? If it is, this is a deal that sounds too good to be true. I don't know how the company can make any money if that's all they are charging for... Talk about a great deal. I can certainly see why so many would be loyal to the site and company.

[richvalle]

Its a one time fee. Not even a cost to upgrade to new versions with all the neat features. :)

rv

[Griogre]

It is important to get the full version of FG if you are going to DM. There is no upgrade from the lite to full licences and the full version is required to run a game. Once you have the licence there are no other fees.

[Morfedel]

First, do you find the experience and the role-playing to be as satisfying as it is when you play over the table? (It seems that the developers have very much tried to recreate this...)

Mike, I think you need to realize that no online game is going to accurately and identically duplicate the tabletop, face-to-face experience. With that in mind, you could ask instead "how close does it come."

It comes darned close. Realize that the experience is hampered by not actually sitting face to face, thus you don't get that direct social experience, and the game will frankly run slowler; after all, typing IS slower than talking (although some people use programs such as Ventrillo or other speaking programs to spead up the game).

However, for an online experience, it comes about as close as I've seen to approximating the experience.


Second, do you find that the pace of the game is acceptable, realizing that this is of course a matter of opinion. I guess my question is does the medium slow the game down any, if that makes sense?

Again, as you say, this is subjective, but if you and the others understand that play WILL be slower than in real life, then it all really depends on the players and GMs themselves. For one, it can be a problem if someone is slow, and for two, I've occasionally found that someone who hasn't been in the action for a bit goes into another window and misses it when its "their turn."

For those that type adequately enough (or use Ventrillo) and pay attention, however, it can be most reasonable.


For Players, do you find it difficult to find a group to play with regularly?
For DM's, do you find it difficult to keep a consistent group of players? Also, do you find that the medium of play increases your prep time considerably?

I can't speak for FG, as I've JUST started getting into it myself, but sadly, I've found that with OpenRPG (a similar program; free, but nowhere near as good), players and GMs have a tendency to be VERY flightly and unreliable. I'm hoping that the FG community proves to be different in that regard.

However, I bought the program, and thus far am most satisfied.

[Morfedel]

who cares if one of you should be sleeping and another of you should be working?


Uhm, me? ;)

[Morfedel]

I love the idea of VoiP along with FG for roleplaying. I can't, though; my wife sleeps while I roleplay, keeps the door open, and it's just around the corner. Much talking will wake her up and make her grumpy, thus, I stick with text.

However, I must say, text inspires people to be more descriptive, and that can be an advantage.

Besides, once in awhile I "meet" someone in voice that I'd wish stuck to text. ;)

[BaldMike]

Morfedel,

Thanks for the feedback. You bring up something that I had thought of which is the potential tradeoff between actual voice and typing.

I understand that typing and using an interface such as FG will perhaps interfere a bit with gaming speed, but after reading some game logs and giving it some thought I would think we have the opportunity to really gain something in terms of game immersion.

I must confess there were times where I had a hard time imagining my 275 lb buddy across the table as the lithe female elf he was trying to play in character. :eek:

So, my hope is that what I might give up a bit in terms of gaming speed will be made up in terms of game immersion (as well as eliminating those pesky RL side conversations that freqently got going at the table).

[Morfedel]

I must confess there were times where I had a hard time imagining my 275 lb buddy across the table as the lithe female elf he was trying to play in character. :eek:


LOL!

This reminds me of a little video that you will have to check out. It's a little tease about D&D gamers called Fear of Girls (https://www.rockloops.com/video/11975)

[BaldMike]

Morfedel,

My wife said I only need to put one word after reviewing that video...disturbing! :eek:

I thought the video was a riot and let me just say that I do have other hobbies such as playing chess. Seriously though, funny video...

[heruca]

I can't speak for FG, as I've JUST started getting into it myself, but sadly, I've found that with OpenRPG (a similar program; free, but nowhere near as good), players and GMs have a tendency to be VERY flightly and unreliable. I'm hoping that the FG community proves to be different in that regard.

I think game groups tend to be more stable using commercial tabletop software as opposed to free software. If the players have made a financial investment, however small, they're more likely to stick around and get more value out of it.

[richvalle]

Morfedel,

My wife said I only need to put one word after reviewing that video...disturbing! :eek:

I thought the video was a riot and let me just say that I do have other hobbies such as playing chess. Seriously though, funny video...

If you liked that, you'll love this:

https://www.xrpshop.citymax.com/page/page/3170681.htm

Make sure to read the text.

And yes, this is going to be a real product.

rv

[BaldMike]

You're jerking my chain, right? Right of passage for the new guy in the community? No way this is a real product for publication, right? :o

[richvalle]

Would I do that to you?

:)

Its being written by Expeditious Retreat Press makers of Ilwans favorate book A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe. :) Seriously, they make great products. I have both the above and their 'Beast creator' book and they are very good.

The guy writting it (its two person company... I think husband and wife) posted a message about how he would write a section and then bug his wife to listen as he read it out loud because it was so funny.

https://www.exp.citymax.com/page/page/1396734.htm

You can even preorder it at: https://www.xrpshop.citymax.com/catalog/item/2632834/2709851.htm

Looks like its $12.

[calvinNhobbes]

I would have to say I much prefer text over voice for the purpose of roleplaying. Not only does it make it easier to imagine the player as someone else as others have mentioned, but it also allows the DM to play anyone including NPCs and monsters with less confusion because of the ID function. In my current game there is an NPC cleric with us, but it doesn't really feel like an NPC because whenever he talks, his name comes up, not the DM.

I would say the speed of the game is more dependent on the people playing than the software. If everyone spaces out when its not their turn things take longer just like in real life. One nifty function is the tab key to toggle between two chat lines. You can be busy typing up your attack description for your next turn when someone asks you a OOC question. Just hit tab and answer them, then go back to your description.

I would have to say so far I find the FG community to be very mature and fairly dependable. If people are not going to be able to make a game they let everyone know before hand. I suspected this would be the the case with RP software that cost money over a free program. Helps to keep the "kiddies" out. I figured if someone was too cheap to spend $20 as a one time cost then perhaps they would not be a very serious player.

I went ahead and bought the full license so I can DM eventually. At night when I watch TV, I screw around with FG campaign editor during the commercials. I find it very easy to use, but every night I find some new little trick to make things run clearer or smoother.